Tender Satay of Kebon Kacang

The Kebon Kacang area in Tanah Abang, Central Jakarta is one of the culinary heavens in Jakarta. 

In addition to its well known nasi uduk, there is also a typical Betawi menu offered in Kebon Kacang. The menu is Sate Lembut, or Tender Satay.
 
One of the satay stalls which is still open is Sate Lembut Hj. Romlah. This stall was popular in the 1950s. Stall was previously located in KH Mas Mansyur street, but now it has moved to Kebon Kacang V No. 44.

This typical dish of Betawi is actually looks like Bali's Sate Lilit but using beef instead of chicken meat. The satay was served just like common satay serving: with rice or rice cake and types of sauces of our preference.

"[You can have] soy sauce or peanut sauce, it is up to you," said 62-year-old Lukmanul Hakim, the son in law of Hj. Romlah who continues to run the business.

After Hj. Romlah died, the business was handed over to her daughter, Hj. Atikah which is the wife of Lukman. 

The satay stall has survived quite a long time until Hj. Atikah died in 2007. The business started to slow down since not all of Hj. Atikah's offsprings were willing to run it. Only Dina (29 years old) who inherited the talent and the secret recipe of making the tender satay.

Dina quit her job in a private bank to manage the business as her mother wish. Lukman, also known as Maman, said that he has concerns on the dish's fate. Nowadays, his stall is the only one that sells Sate Lembut and he does not open branch anywhere else.

People are also reluctant to learn to make it since the making process is difficult. The minced beef bought from the market has to be minced again, and then pounded into tender texture. The beef also need to be mixed with grated coconut. These grated coconuts have to be sautéed first for quite a while.

The sautéed coconut is then mixed with the minced beef in a pestle and poured with the family’s seasoning recipe. The dough continues to be pounded for about half an hour. Lastly, the dough can be wound on the satay sticks and roasted to a half-done level.

The half-done roasting prevents the satay from rupturing when it is roasted upon order and to preserve it so that it will last for two days. Maman's customers come from many places in Indonesia and even from other countries.

Source : Tempo